Raphael
by RoNask
Summary: As Aziraphale studies religion, he finds himself on a confusing path. Crowley is the only one with answers, but are those answers the ones Aziraphale expected?


The bell rang when he sauntered into the bookshop. Behind the dark lenses, his golden eyes searched for the owner of the place.

"Aziraphale?"

"Over here," the muffled voice came from somewhere in the back.

The demon tilted his head as he caught the sight of the ethereal being surrounded by open books, his face contorted as he seemed to read the same line over and over again.

"Hey, what's wrong?" prompted Crowley. He observed as the light created a golden halo behind his angel's head.

Aziraphale rose his eyes to meet the ones of his companion, the demon shrunk his shoulders.

"Are you alright, angel?"

The blonde blinked, then stood to his feet with a fast movement, he took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes for a moment. A humorless chuckle escaping him. "You won't believe what I've found, my dear"

"What is it?"

The angel rushed towards the nearest table where he laid one of the books, then searched before pointing to a name. "Israfel"

"What about it?" the demon faced him.

"My dear, that's my name"

"Well, actually-"

"I know, that's what is strange"

Crowley licked his suddenly dry lips and shifted, "What is strange, angel?"

"Israfel is just another way to say Aziraphale, but whenever you look up in the human books, they all claim that it is connected to Raphael. There must be some mistake, there's no angel Raphael since the Great War in Heaven. No one knows what happened to them. Why would humans claim that they are still around?"

"Perhaps they are," offered the demon.

"Well, if they are we should probably warn him to be careful not to be mistaken with me because-"

"They won't"

Aziraphale blinked, "You know them"

"Technically, yes"

"Technically? How could you? No one knows what happened to them"

"Angel, do you remember Beelzebub's angelic name?"

"No"

"Hastur's?"

"No"

"Mine?"

"No, and I don't see where you're going with this, dear boy. Archangel Raphael didn't Fall, humans tell stories of him doing good and protecting Humanity, and-"

"They have been doing good deeds, quite a lot of them, actually"

"Why would a demon do that?"

Crowley finally took his hands out of his pockets, he avoided the angel's blue irises. "There's something you should know"

Aziraphale frowned.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you this before, but really there was no point and it's just painful and… I don't know"

"Crowley, my dear, what's going on?"

"Remember how we met?"

"Yes, of course, how would I-"

"Remember that you were meant to have the flaming sword with you?"

"Yes"

"Tell me, angel, why would a demon like me, who had just disturbed the Almighty's creation approached an armed angel that could potentially kill me"

"No reasonable demon would unless… Unless you knew you wouldn't be harmed, but there was no way you'd know that"

"Except…"

"Except if you knew me"

Aziraphale watched his companion for a moment, "Still, what are you trying to say? I know I'm not Archangel Raphael, Crowley, that's not possible"

"No, you're not. Not anymore"

"What?"

"After the Fall memories were erased and things happened, names were changed. I changed mine or it was changed," he gave a shrug, "No angel would be called 'Crawly'"

"What was your name?"

The demon gave him a weak smile.

"That can't be, Crowley, you can't be Raphael"

"Again, not anymore. I'm sure you're familiar with the Greek myth that humans tell about finding their life companion"

"The one where they were allegedly separated from their soulmates?"

"Exactly"

"Israfel was Raphael, but so was I"

The ticking of the clock filled the air as Aziraphale's statue had its eyes glued on the demon's face.

"Israfel, Raphael, then the Fall, the separation, names are changed,..."

"Raphael becomes Aziraphale, but also Crawly," added the demon.

"Why?"

"I have to say, angel, that I don't know, it's… Well, ineffable"

"_We_ were Raphael. _We _were the same angel. _We _were one. And _you _knew it"

The demon swallowed, "There was no use telling you, angel. It would be of no good"

Aziraphale grabbed Crowley's hand and their mind was filled with images, screams, the voice of God, the war, the pain of being torn in two, the burning from the Fall, the being from being reborn as a single being.

The angel had a tear running underneath a yellow eye before he blinked and they came back to normal. He faced the demon.

"I lost you and I never knew"

"We lost ourselves. I'm sorry if it wasn't for me-"

"No. We did it together, my dear"

Aziraphale miracled himself a chair and sat.

"Would you like for me to leave?"

"No, please, stay," he said.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, yes, I am, my dear"

Crowley comes up with his own chair, he also adds two glasses and a bottle of wine to the mix, pours them both a drink.

Their glasses click and then they drink.


End file.
